The Simpsons started as a weekly cartoon short created by
Matt Groening for The Tracy Ullman Show in 1987. Its
popularity was such that it became a half-hour series in 1989 and is now the
longest running television show in the country. Mad put Bart Simpson and
his strange hair on the cover of Mad #299 with Alfred E. Neuman giving him a
lawnmower trim. The great Mort Drucker drew Bart for the cover but any of
the UGOI could have done this one. Instead of trying to do a parody of the
show that was already a parody of modern culture, Mad editors split their
tribute to The Simpsons into three creative articles. Writer Stan Hart
compared them to eight famous types of people (George H.W. Bush, Richard Nixon,
Coach Jerry Tarkanian, George Steinbrenner, Bill Bennett, Andrew Dice Clay,
Wrestler Macho Man and the Gabor sisters) as drawn by Angelo Torres.
Charlie Kadau took "A Mad Peek Behind the Scenes a 'The Simpsons' Studio" with a
double splash-page featuring the show producers, some Mad staffers and future
promotional products. Sam Viviano provided the artwork. Stan Hart
also wrote the third article "Using the Simpson Look to Update Stale
Appearances" that made Simpson out of celebrities like Mikhail Gorbachev,
Barbara Bush and Mike Tyson. Sergio Aragones added the marginal Bart who
has a special comb for that hair. I counted 21 Barts in the issue. [JAM
12/31/2011]

Goofy is a big fan of Oliver North ("What Every American Should Be Required
to Learn").

Departments:
Name that Tune - The Simpsons
A Massive Bart Attack - A Mad Peek Behind the Scenes at "The Simpsons" Studio
Our Features Presentation - Using the Simpson Look to Update Stale Appearances
The Shape of Zings to Come - Mad Reviews the 21st Century Ahead of Time
Tales From the Duck Side - The Nefarious Noose Nuisance; The Zippy Zoo Zapper;
The Raging Rabble's Revenge
Humor in a Vernacular Vein - Words and Phrases that Left the English Language
During the 80's
Joke And Dagger - Spy vs. Spy
Getting Repped Off - Mad's Sports Business Agent of the Year
Humor in a Monolithic Vein - Mad Examines Some Cave Writings of Prehistoric Man
Plane Nonsense - A Mad People Watcher's Guide to an Airport
Script Tease - Totally Original Never-Been-Done Before Movie Plots
Berg's-Eye View - The Lighter Side
Attention K. Marx Shoppers - World Communism Close-Out Sale
Claws And Defects - The 9 Real Reasons Why Your Parents Won't Let You Have a Pet
A Little Smart Asked - What Every American Should be Required to Learn
Serge-In General - A Mad Look at Supermarkets
Milking Amnesia - Totally Recalled